This a really long reply sorry folks
JeffersonH
I probably didn't make it all that clear from my messages but they were from experience from a much earlier version of the bespoke application that we use.
We originally had a full client system not Zabo or WEBI that was driven by a web screen that had document links essentially.
We have moved since then to a WEBI interface with Full Client/ WEBI interface with Zabo (Which although took a lot of issue away was still far to slow)
, then onto Full client reports refreshed through BCA producing HTML versions of the reports(Not necessarily actually producing the html though
, in this case the html is produced on request but the cube has already been refreshed),
the last process is very fast as all you are ever doing from a user point is opening a html page,
but there is the BIG issue of BCA servers, can't get enough of them for the batch window.(will explain situation at the end).
With all of these you have the presentation available from Full Client,
Then we moved onto Refresh on Open Full Client reports that produce the html on request as well.
This works well but is a strain on the webi server.
So then onto WEBI,
so now we have WEBI reports, some of which are refreshed on open, along with some of the other systems that will eventually be phased out.
Full Client Refresh on Open with the right work and the same data cube IS as quick as a Webi report that is refresh on open,(within 1 second on a webi report that takes 10 seconds).
With the consideration that 80% of Business Users are not bothered about functionality as long as they can drill down to the report level that they want,
they don't want to be able to rank, sort, place their own alerters, put on their own filters etc, etc, etc. they just want the figure to be there as quickly as possible why use WEBI,
use Full Client with either refresh on open or through BCA, that way you get all the functionality available to developers and the presentation of Full Client.
(This only works for the right situation, and no work place will fit 100% to this model so you have to have be-spoke systems that allow different users different abilities)
So lets get this right, WEBI NO quicker, less functionality for developers within WEBI, no presentation qualities.
So what is better with WEBI than with Full Client reports, the only thing that I have found when just viewing reports (not users creating them) is that you can fit easily
25 -> 50 (in some instances upto 100) WEBI users to every one Full Client User, business objects quote I think 1000 WEBI to 1 Full Client, I haven't seen this in the real
world though
It's all about getting the right mix of application for the type of user, most people in this forum have got this though you being one of them.
Just to give you some stats:
We have about 2000 view only users
about 500 WEBI report creators and advanced users
about 250 Full Client view and amend users
about 150 Full Client complete functionality users
about 10 Business User developers no designer though
about 5 Full time Business Objects Developers with Designer
3 application specialists covering the bespoke WEB application, Business Objects (all the strains of the application from Full Client thru webi and supervisor etc etc) and the BO infrastructure, so configuration and initial deployment of hardware)
I am one of the three.
All of that is just BO nothing to do with Database users and the support of the users
Our BCA servers run approx 1000 reports most nights and produce about 1.6 million pages of HTML in about 5-6 hours. That's why we are going more refresh on open and more webi
only trouble is that about 1500 of the 2000 view only users work off the end of what is essentially a 56kps modem connection so the performance is critical.